AFGHANISTAN: Supplier Under Scrutiny on Aging Arms for Afghans
by C. J. CHIVERS, The New York TimesMarch 27th, 2008With the award last January of a federal contract worth as much as nearly $300 million, the company, AEY Inc., which operates out of an unmarked office in Miami Beach, became the main supplier of munitions to Afghanistan’s army and police forces. Since then, the company has provided ammunition that is more than 40 years old and in decomposing packaging, according to an examination of the munitions by The New York Times and interviews with American and Afghan officials.

INDIA: Building a Modern Arsenal in Indiaby Heather Timmons and Somini Sengupta, The New York TimesAugust 31st, 2007India is developing a military appetite to match its growing economic power. With a ballooning arms budget, India will soon become one of the largest military markets in the world, making it an important new target for American arms manufacturers.

US: As Iraq Costs Soar, Contractors Earn Record Profits by Eli Clifton, Inter Press Service News AgencyAugust 2nd, 2007In a report to lawmakers earlier this week, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office found that the war in Iraq could cost U.S. taxpayers over a trillion dollars when the long-term costs of caring for soldiers wounded in action, military and economic aid for the Iraqi government, and ongoing costs associated with the 190,000 troops stationed in Iraq are totaled up.

WORLD: US probes Saudi-linked UK arms firmby David Robertson and Tom Baldwin, The Times (London)June 28th, 2007The British and US governments are on a diplomatic collision course after the US Department of Justice launched a formal investigation into allegations of corruption at defence company BAE Systems. The US investigation will scrutinise BAE's dealings with Saudi Arabia to expose an account allegedly held by the Bank of England that is used to facilitate Saudi payments for arms.

UK: Rowntree dumps its Reed sharesby Katherine Griffiths, TelegraphFebruary 13th, 2007Two investors in Reed Elsevier have sold their shares as a protest that the publishing giant runs arms fairs which have included the sale of torture equipment.

US: Lockheed Stock and Two Smoking Barrelsby Richard Cummings, Playboy.comJanuary 16th, 2007If you think the Iraq war hasn't worked out very well for anyone, think again. Defense contractors such as Lockheed are thriving. And no wonder: Here's the story how Lockheed's interests- as opposed to those of the American citizenry- set the course of U.S. policy after 9/11.

US: Army May End Lockheed Spy Plane ContractAssociated PressJanuary 12th, 2006The Army is expected to cancel a Lockheed Martin Corp. contract to build a new spy plane, according to industry and Pentagon officials, despite efforts by the defense contractor to solve problems that include lightening the plane's weight.